The Book I chose was Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins this book because I wanted to see wanted to see what all the fuss about. Everywhere I turned it seemed to be Hunger Games this and Hunger Games that. I was thinking to myself I don’t read why would I want to read this book, but when I finally decided to read it I found out what all the hype was about. Then my life became run by the adventures of Katniss Everdeen.
Genre:
The genre of the Hunger Games is young adult, futuristic, and post-apocalyptic. It is young adult because the book is about teenagers and is obviously meant for teenagers to read because of the content of the book. It has things like teen romance and is all about the amazing adventures of teenagers. It is futuristic because it tells in the book about the advanced technologies in the games such as the ability to place things all over the arena just by touching a screen. It is post-apocalyptic because Panem is known to be after the United States is gone.
Summary:
In the novel Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins we follow the story of a sixteen year old rebellious teenage girl, Katniss Everdeen. Katniss lives in the post-apocalyptic futuristic world of Panem. Panem which from hints in the book appears to be based somewhere in the United States. Panem is separated into thirteen districts, and the Capitol. The thirteenth district is supposedly no longer there because of their rebellion against the capitol district thirteen was destroyed. The districts all have one main job that they do. For example Katniss lives in district twelve and there job is mining. The districts are also separated by wealth. The higher number district you live in the less money you have. You are also not allowed to leave your district. Katniss lives with her mother and sister, Primrose. At the beginning of the book her dad had recently died in a mining accident. Her mother does not work so Katniss spends her days hunting and gathering for food with her best friend Gale to support their families. Katniss’s talent is archery. She has amazing archery skills, and that is how she does a majority of her hunting.
Every year in the nation of Panem they have what’s called the Hunger Games. In the Hunger Games they pick one guy and one girl from every district from age twelve to eighteen and make them fight to the death on TV in a huge arena. At this year’s Hunger Games reaping Katniss’s sister is selected but just before she goes up on stage Katniss volunteers as tribute. This means that she volunteers to take her place. The boy picked is Peeta Melark. After the tributes say their final goodbyes they are rushed off to the capital for an epic adventure.
Character summary:
Katniss Everdeen:
Katniss is the protagonist of the novel and is also the main narrator. She is sixteen years old and throughout the book demonstrates maturity for her age, one way she shows this maturity is when she says goodbye to Gale she says, “Take care of them, Gale. Whatever you do, don't let them starve!” Katniss says that when she is saying goodbye to her best friend Gale before going to the capitol. She says it to make sure that Gale takes care of her family. This demonstrates a lot of maturity because she thinks of others before herself. The other way she shows maturity is providing for her family. Since her mom does not work and her sister cannot do anything to provide for the family. The main thing she does is provide food by hunting with Gale. This is not allowed in her country but she breaks the rules to provide for the family. The other thing she does is sell things in the district twelve black market. These are the sacrifices Katniss makes for her family. Another major quality of Katniss is her bravery. Throughout the book she shows tremendous bravery. The first example of bravery is when she volunteers for her sister at the reaping. When you are willing to sacrifice your life for your sister is shows remarkable courage. She shows other acts of courage in the Arena of the Hunger Games. Her biggest one was when she went to the cornucopia (the cornucopia is the starting point of the games) and got the medicine he needed to save Peeta who was suffering from an infected leg. Bravery and maturity are the qualities that make up the protagonist of the story.
Peeta Mellark:
Peeta is the male tribute from District Twelve, he is portrayed has a strong handsome boy who has lots of trouble at home with his family. He becomes a favorite of the citizens of Panem because he is of his likability. Haymitch (who is the district twelve mentor) says in the book to win the games you must get people to like you so you can get sponsors. He knows to win the games he will have to do it in the interviews and pre games events, because sponsors give you supplies. The first thing he does is convince people he has a love interest in Katniss. This creates a romantic love story between the two which gets them more sponsors. Peeta is also very modest. This is shown when Peeta says “Okay, well I’m not gonna kill anyone with a sack of flour.” He says this after Katniss is trying to convince him that he has a chance because he is strong, but modest Peeta just knocks down her suggestion.
Haymitch Abernathy:
District twelve’s only winner of the Hunger Games, and is also the mentor of Katniss and Peeta. He is a complete drunk and is drunk most of the time until Peeta and Katniss tell him that they want to win, and then he agrees to be sober enough to help them. Haymitch also finds a way to talk to Katniss during the games. The more kissing her and Peeta do the more supplies she receives.
Themes ans Ideas:
The Hunger Games portrays many major themes such as, what humanity is becoming, popularity and appearance, and Love will make you do crazy things.
The theme of what humanity is becoming is major throughout the book. In the nation of Panem it obviously seems completely government controlled. Which seems to be where the world is heading in these times, especially in the United States. The other way it is portrayed is by the fact that people are sitting down and watching on TV kids brutally murdering each other with commentators and everything. Are people really becoming so immune to violence?
Another theme of the Hunger Games is popularity and appearance. This is a major theme because before the games start it is a popularity contest. Just like most high schools in the world popularity is a huge deal because popularity well get people to like you, which means sponsors. Popularity is based on two things, appearance, and personality. In the pre-game events, like interviews they are dressed perfectly and are instructed on how to talk. Peeta for example is the most loved because of his handsome looks and charming personality. Katniss however has no personality, but Peeta who says he is in love with Katniss transfers some of his popularity over to her. They then portray themselves as the lovers of district twelve. Which immediately makes them both the most popular in the games and gets them tons of stuff that ends up saving their lives. Can popularity really save lives?
The last theme of the Hunger Games is Love will make you do crazy . The first example of this is when Katniss volunteers for her sister at the reaping. This shows that Katniss loves her sister so much she’s willing to die for her. Another instance when this happened is when Katniss risked her life to go get the medicine to save Peeta’s life. The last, and most important instance in which love has made the characters do something crazy is at the end of the Hunger Games and Katniss and Peeta are the only ones left, but only one can survive. They then decide to eat piousness berries to kill each other because they would rather die than only one live, because the pain of living without the other would be too much. Would they really go that far for love?
Major Conflicts:
There are three major conflicts in the Hunger Games, Person vs. Person, Person vs. Nature, and Person vs. Himself. Katniss deals with all these conflicts throughout the book, but is not the only one dealing with them. The first conflict, Person vs. Person, is the brutality of the Hunger Games. It’s the conflict of the fighting between 24 teenagers. The second conflict is Person vs. Nature. This conflict becomes an important role in the book. In the games the biggest struggle in the arena is not the other people, but the punches that nature throws at you. For example “fox face” the district five tribute dies from eating poisonous berries called nightlock. The final conflict is person vs. himself. This represents the internal struggle that all the tributes deal with that they might die. It applies for Katniss especial because she knows she maynever see her family again.
Symbolism:
The symbol of fire is major in the Hunger Games because Katniss becomes known as the girl on fire after the dress she wears at opening ceremonies catches on fire. Fire is also use against her in the actual games. In the games they try to get her out of the forest by starting a fast spreading forest fire. Which is ironic because she is the girl on fire and fire is being used against her.
Interesting Words:
Mockingjay – A bird that can repeat any song you whistle or hum
Tracker Jackers – Genetically altered bees that have a deadly sting
Cornucopia – horn shaped structure that is where they hide all the weapons at the beginning of the games
Careers – teenagers from districts 1, 2, and 3 that train for the Hunger Games their whole lives
Tributes – girls and guys from each district
Similar Works:
Uglies’s by Scott Westerfeld reminds me the most of the Hunger Games. It is the same concept of a rebellious teen age girl. Uglies follows the story of Tally Youngblood and young girl who breaks the rules because she does not want to get the surgery to make her pretty that her city requires(the book never says exact name). Just like Katniss rebels against the capital by Hunting outside the areas and selling on the black market. Just as Tally rebel against her city by not getting the required surgery to change herself. The other reasons they are alike is both worlds are ruled in a way where people stay in their place. In Tallys world you grow up with your parents than get a surgery to become pretty and live in the city and then you have to get a job and live somewhere else. Just as in the Hunger Games when people stay in their districts.
The Hunger Games
By Benjamin CohenReason I Chose this book:
The Book I chose was Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins this book because I wanted to see wanted to see what all the fuss about. Everywhere I turned it seemed to be Hunger Games this and Hunger Games that. I was thinking to myself I don’t read why would I want to read this book, but when I finally decided to read it I found out what all the hype was about. Then my life became run by the adventures of Katniss Everdeen.
Genre:
The genre of the Hunger Games is young adult, futuristic, and post-apocalyptic. It is young adult because the book is about teenagers and is obviously meant for teenagers to read because of the content of the book. It has things like teen romance and is all about the amazing adventures of teenagers. It is futuristic because it tells in the book about the advanced technologies in the games such as the ability to place things all over the arena just by touching a screen. It is post-apocalyptic because Panem is known to be after the United States is gone.
Summary:
In the novel Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins we follow the story of a sixteen year old rebellious teenage girl, Katniss Everdeen. Katniss lives in the post-apocalyptic futuristic world of Panem. Panem which from hints in the book appears to be based somewhere in the United States. Panem is separated into thirteen districts, and the Capitol. The thirteenth district is supposedly no longer there because of their rebellion against the capitol district thirteen was destroyed. The districts all have one main job that they do. For example Katniss lives in district twelve and there job is mining. The districts are also separated by wealth. The higher number district you live in the less money you have. You are also not allowed to leave your district. Katniss lives with her mother and sister, Primrose. At the beginning of the book her dad had recently died in a mining accident. Her mother does not work so Katniss spends her days hunting and gathering for food with her best friend Gale to support their families. Katniss’s talent is archery. She has amazing archery skills, and that is how she does a majority of her hunting.
Every year in the nation of Panem they have what’s called the Hunger Games. In the Hunger Games they pick one guy and one girl from every district from age twelve to eighteen and make them fight to the death on TV in a huge arena. At this year’s Hunger Games reaping Katniss’s sister is selected but just before she goes up on stage Katniss volunteers as tribute. This means that she volunteers to take her place. The boy picked is Peeta Melark. After the tributes say their final goodbyes they are rushed off to the capital for an epic adventure.
Character summary:
Katniss Everdeen:
Katniss is the protagonist of the novel and is also the main narrator. She is sixteen years old and throughout the book demonstrates maturity for her age, one way she shows this maturity is when she says goodbye to Gale she says, “Take care of them, Gale. Whatever you do, don't let them starve!” Katniss says that when she is saying goodbye to her best friend Gale before going to the capitol. She says it to make sure that Gale takes care of her family. This demonstrates a lot of maturity because she thinks of others before herself. The other way she shows maturity is providing for her family. Since her mom does not work and her sister cannot do anything to provide for the family. The main thing she does is provide food by hunting with Gale. This is not allowed in her country but she breaks the rules to provide for the family. The other thing she does is sell things in the district twelve black market. These are the sacrifices Katniss makes for her family. Another major quality of Katniss is her bravery. Throughout the book she shows tremendous bravery. The first example of bravery is when she volunteers for her sister at the reaping. When you are willing to sacrifice your life for your sister is shows remarkable courage. She shows other acts of courage in the Arena of the Hunger Games. Her biggest one was when she went to the cornucopia (the cornucopia is the starting point of the games) and got the medicine he needed to save Peeta who was suffering from an infected leg. Bravery and maturity are the qualities that make up the protagonist of the story.Peeta Mellark:
Peeta is the male tribute from District Twelve, he is portrayed has a strong handsome boy who has lots of trouble at home with his family. He becomes a favorite of the citizens of Panem because he is of his likability. Haymitch (who is the district twelve mentor) says in the book to win the games you must get people to like you so you can get sponsors. He knows to win the games he will have to do it in the interviews and pre games events, because sponsors give you supplies. The first thing he does is convince people he has a love interest in Katniss. This creates a romantic love story between the two which gets them more sponsors. Peeta is also very modest. This is shown when Peeta says “Okay, well I’m not gonna kill anyone with a sack of flour.” He says this after Katniss is trying to convince him that he has a chance because he is strong, but modest Peeta just knocks down her suggestion.
Haymitch Abernathy:
District twelve’s only winner of the Hunger Games, and is also the mentor of Katniss and Peeta. He is a complete drunk and is drunk most of the time until Peeta and Katniss tell him that they want to win, and then he agrees to be sober enough to help them. Haymitch also finds a way to talk to Katniss during the games. The more kissing her and Peeta do the more supplies she receives.Themes ans Ideas:
The Hunger Games portrays many major themes such as, what humanity is becoming, popularity and appearance, and Love will make you do crazy things.
The theme of what humanity is becoming is major throughout the book. In the nation of Panem it obviously seems completely government controlled. Which seems to be where the world is heading in these times, especially in the United States. The other way it is portrayed is by the fact that people are sitting down and watching on TV kids brutally murdering each other with commentators and everything. Are people really becoming so immune to violence?
Another theme of the Hunger Games is popularity and appearance. This is a major theme because before the games start it is a popularity contest. Just like most high schools in the world popularity is a huge deal because popularity well get people to like you, which means sponsors. Popularity is based on two things, appearance, and personality. In the pre-game events, like interviews they are dressed perfectly and are instructed on how to talk. Peeta for example is the most loved because of his handsome looks and charming personality. Katniss however has no personality, but Peeta who says he is in love with Katniss transfers some of his popularity over to her. They then portray themselves as the lovers of district twelve. Which immediately makes them both the most popular in the games and gets them tons of stuff that ends up saving their lives. Can popularity really save lives?
The last theme of the Hunger Games is Love will make you do crazy . The first example of this is when Katniss volunteers for her sister at the reaping. This shows that Katniss loves her sister so much she’s willing to die for her. Another instance when this happened is when Katniss risked her life to go get the medicine to save Peeta’s life. The last, and most important instance in which love has made the characters do something crazy is at the end of the Hunger Games and Katniss and Peeta are the only ones left, but only one can survive. They then decide to eat piousness berries to kill each other because they would rather die than only one live, because the pain of living without the other would be too much. Would they really go that far for love?
Major Conflicts:
There are three major conflicts in the Hunger Games, Person vs. Person, Person vs. Nature, and Person vs. Himself. Katniss deals with all these conflicts throughout the book, but is not the only one dealing with them. The first conflict, Person vs. Person, is the brutality of the Hunger Games. It’s the conflict of the fighting between 24 teenagers. The second conflict is Person vs. Nature. This conflict becomes an important role in the book. In the games the biggest struggle in the arena is not the other people, but the punches that nature throws at you. For example “fox face” the district five tribute dies from eating poisonous berries called nightlock. The final conflict is person vs. himself. This represents the internal struggle that all the tributes deal with that they might die. It applies for Katniss especial because she knows she maynever see her family again.
Symbolism:
The symbol of fire is major in the Hunger Games because Katniss becomes known as the girl on fire after the dress she wears at opening ceremonies catches on fire. Fire is also use against her in the actual games. In the games they try to get her out of the forest by starting a fast spreading forest fire. Which is ironic because she is the girl on fire and fire is being used against her.
Interesting Words:
Mockingjay – A bird that can repeat any song you whistle or hum
Tracker Jackers – Genetically altered bees that have a deadly sting
Cornucopia – horn shaped structure that is where they hide all the weapons at the beginning of the games
Careers – teenagers from districts 1, 2, and 3 that train for the Hunger Games their whole lives
Tributes – girls and guys from each district
Similar Works:
Uglies’s by Scott Westerfeld reminds me the most of the Hunger Games. It is the same concept of a rebellious teen age girl. Uglies follows the story of Tally Youngblood and young girl who breaks the rules because she does not want to get the surgery to make her pretty that her city requires(the book never says exact name). Just like Katniss rebels against the capital by Hunting outside the areas and selling on the black market. Just as Tally rebel against her city by not getting the required surgery to change herself. The other reasons they are alike is both worlds are ruled in a way where people stay in their place. In Tallys world you grow up with your parents than get a surgery to become pretty and live in the city and then you have to get a job and live somewhere else. Just as in the Hunger Games when people stay in their districts.
Good Reads Review:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2767052-the-hunger-games